Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Grove Atlantic via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own
From the Barry Award nominee and Ngaio Marsh Award winner of Better the Blood, a new thriller bringing danger ever closer to Hana Westerman
Synopsis:
When Detective Inspector Jaye Hamilton stops at an Auckland liquor store for a bottle of champagne, it is supposed to be celebratory: his daughter Addison has just gotten engaged. Instead, he is suddenly gunned down at the register by a balaclava-clad assailant in what appears at first to be a random act. The getaway car is quickly recovered, containing the cell phone of a young Māori man, Toa Davis, who is immediately the object of an all-out police search.
Jaye’s ex-wife, former Māori detective Hana Westerman, asks in on the investigation. Her instincts suggest that the vehicle was meant to be found, and that Jaye had been targeted. The gun used in the assault is distinctive, and she learns that a local gang leader, Erwin Rendall—who had threatened Hana in the past—owns such a weapon. After Davis turns up dead, the hunt for Rendall is on. When he slips through the dragnet and escapes the country, and in the wake of Jaye’s death, Hana decides to rejoin the force, acknowledging that she now has unfinished business.
Skillfully plotted, inviting readers ever further into the appreciation of Māori culture, and with vibrant characters determined to overcome tragedy with resolve, Carved in Blood takes Michael Bennett’s highly-praised series to new heights.
Review:
I read this book right before starting a TV series with Māori characters dealing with some of the same issues brought up in this book, and it was interesting to see how taken from life this book is. Book 3 of the series continues to expand on Hana's deep involvement in her culture and wanting to stay away from police work and the harm it has done to her culture. BUT at the same time, she can not let Jay's shooting go. It is affecting her daughter deeply and as a mother first, she wants to solve the crime to bring the closure the family needs, even if it means stepping back into the world she left. As Hana straddles the 2 worlds, she comes to understand that people around her are keeping secrets and those secrets have a hidden darkness that is affecting the investigation. Taut and thrilling from the first chapter, this is the story arc fans were waiting for, where Hana truly shine's and is cemented as a great mystery character! Don't miss this one!
About the Author:
MICHAEL BENNETT (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and author whose films have been selections at major festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and New York. He is the author of the crime novels Better the Blood and Return to Blood, the nonfiction book In Dark Places, and the young adult graphic novel Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, which was a finalist for the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards. He lives in Auckland.
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